Every council report should detail the potential impact decisions will have on residents’ mental health, a NHS board member has urged.
Lord Victor Adebowale said he knew of one council leader who had already implemented the ‘excellent’ idea, adding: ‘That’s leadership in action.’
He also revealed it had been a ‘struggle’ to get mental health discussed and taken seriously in the NHS, including at board level.
Talking about cuts to services such as youth clubs, the crossbencher continued: ‘We have taken away the kind of infrastructure that builds resilience.
‘We used to talk about children thriving.
‘I think young people have an inherent sense of what we’ve taken away from them and that will have an impact on their mental health.’